Reading reviews - the pros and cons

 I have heard mixed reviews on the Barbie movie, only to come to the conclusion that I would like to actually watch it myself rather than blindly believe reviewers. I have loved books others have hated. I have loved TV shows that others don't like. We all have different opinions on different media and books. Let's talk about the pros and cons of legitimately reading reviews on anything. 

Courtesy of Business 2 Community

While it is beneficial to know whether a product is a scam (Amazon reviews) and know how much nudity is in that TV show that looks kind of interesting (IMDB Parents Guide), not everyone sees the same genre as great or the same tropes as awful. Yes, you want to know whether you could be running into sex scenes you didn't ask for, but some plotlines that aren't x-rated may be loved or hated, garnering mixed reviews. Do you believe every review you read?

Why You Should Be Checking Reviews

Let's use Guardians of the Galaxy 3 as an example. I love the first and second movie but heard about Rocket's flashbacks. I looked up trigger warnings and decided to pass on it. This is a good reason to look at reviews. If you think there is something you can't handle it is best to look up the trigger warnings before you enter the theatre. It is of no use to buy a ticket to a movie you can't handle. IMDB parent guides are helpful here. 

Courtesy of fool.com

If you have had any addiction to pornographic content you should absolutely be doing your due diligence. I don't advocate watching safe TV often (as the quality of those films varies and may be kind of awful), but this is one case that maybe you should consider it. If you feel you might fall back into old habits that die hard don't pull up Game of Thrones and think you'll be fine. Hollywood caters to what sells, which is unfortunately sex. That's never changed, as awful as that reality is. Hollywood doesn't care as long as they make money. 

Kids are a joy to watch movies with. However, taking a kid to a theatre only to find that movie wasn't so tame isn't a fun experience. Parents, check out what your kids are watching (preferably without pulling the reins too tight). If a warning pops up that says 'for select audiences' you should probably veto that viewing choice until they are old enough. Specific age ranges can handle different things. If it is suggested that kids should watch with a parent, join them in the living room. PG movies are also good choices. Kids are one audience that doesn't generally read reviews, so parents need to. 

Who Do You Listen To?

Reviews are great, as long as the reviewer has the same taste in movies or books. That's the problem; not everyone loves the same tropes and genres. Not everyone is okay with a few sex scenes in a book or movie. Not everyone is okay with cursing in their media. I know people who also blindly believe reviewers that lie. This also goes for video games, for reference. Not all of us like playing Call of Duty and not all of us are entertained by Petz DS games. 

I will also note that the parent guide on IMDB is not a review, because it simply just tells you trigger warnings. It shows how many instances of violence and sex, etc... It may include spoilers, but it puts them in a whole section. It isn't a review, per se, but it does help you get perspective on what is in the film. I also found a website on book trigger warnings, and for that click here.

The question remains, who do we listen to? Well, let's start by looking into the reviewer and their personal tastes. Some reviewers go nuts when there are five curse words in a film. Others might be okay with one sex scene that is thirty seconds. Others may not care about nudity and some care about it so much that one shoulder or butt is a big deal. Look into the preferences of the reviewers before you go on their word. Seriously, it may make the difference between going to a good movie or missing one. Or it could mean you think a movie is fine and it isn't. Think about who is reviewing it. 

Courtesy of studyclix.web.fc2.com

How well is the review written? Is it written so someone could get a constructive view of how intense it is, or is it vague and unhelpful? That matters, too. For example, if some lady who hates fantasy reviewed a fantasy book it isn't going to be a good review and we all know it. A constructive review says what they liked and didn't like clearly. It also reflects on who might like it and who might hate it. 

Look out for spoilers, though. 

I am a Christian. I also watch secular content. Not every Christian is only watching safe TV. Keep in mind different Christians will vary on reviews. Some get upset when one person says one cuss word or one shoulder is exposed. Others may say as long as it doesn't glorify evil they can look past some stuff. Honestly, I believe that our world sometimes needs a mirror to its face. Know thy reviewer before going on their word. 

The problem with looking at reviews

You see, I have a beef with reviews. That beef is that you don't know if they watched it or not. You don't know sometimes. Bad reviews can kill good media quickly. Sometimes an author who is hated wrote a good book and it gets sandbagged. Sometimes people attack the media someone made instead of the person. People are also sheep who can blindly believe false reviews. I don't think we all value thinking for ourselves and that is a real shame. 

What I'm saying we should do is this; we need to use the common sense God gave us and the intelligence we were given to read reviews and engage with media while our brains are switched on. Don't trust just one source. Shop around and see what others said over there and over here. Look at trigger warnings, then decide. If you see mixed reviews I highly suggest you check it out for yourself before judging it to be trash or the best film of the year. I believe in you. Use that beautiful intelligence and turn that brain on. 

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I wrote a book! I am delighted to say that I have four five-star reviews up on Amazon now, which is amazing. I hope you like it, too. If you're interested in buying a paperback or ebook version go to my website link in this blog or click here to go straight to my Amazon page. 

Jack Thomas is running from a past case. He's hiding in Wrenville. Is his past case catching up with him? 

Find out in my first book, Wrenville, a stand-alone suspense novel.

Read it or Unhaul it - pt 1

 I was watching booktubers (Youtubers who talk about books) on Youtube and came upon a reading challenge entitled "Read it or unhaul it" on several booktuber channels. I have a long list of unread books on my shelves that need to stay and be loved or leave because they take up too much space. Let's just jump into it with both feet. 

 I picked three books at random to read. The rules go as follows:

1. I pick the book based on how they are numbered in my Excel sheet using a random number generator.

2. I read the three books and review them in this blog.

3. I decide to keep or unhaul them based on those reviews. 

Ready? Let's go! 

Book 1 - The Murder House by James Patterson / David Ellis 

   

 I started this book and loved the first two chapters, then they abruptly changed over to a character that lacked personality. I didn't care about the character, so after nine chapters I was not enjoying myself. I DNFed (did not finish) it. It hit my unhaul pile quickly. I looked at reviews and found that maybe other people like this book, but I don't. Jenna Murphy seemed to lack the personality that would have made the difference between me finishing it and me DNFing it. 

Book 2 - The Gangster By Clive Cussler/Justin Scott   

I loved this one, and it is staying in the collection. In fact, I may seek out more Isaac Bell adventures in the future as a direct result. Because I read this book, I want more of Isaac Bell. I love that character and no character in the entire book disappointed me in any way. They had depth. The plot had me going from start to finish. I didn't take all that long to read it. 

The plot is basically this; Isaac Bell gets two cases and solves them both. It is set in the early 1900s. The cases connect back to one person who is talked about in the prologue, which details young Isaac Bell being a troublesome college prankster. It connects him back to the VanDorn detective agency where all this takes place. He thwarts the assassination of President Roosevelt (Teddy Roosevelt) and takes out black hand extortionists taking advantage of Italian people. That's about it, with some added fight scenes and compelling character relationships. I especially liked that Bell's fiance was a woman of high intelligence. You can read it without the rest of the series or with it - either way, it rocks! 

Book 3 - Mirage By Clive Cussler and Jack Du Brul     

Well, this one wasn't awful. It was basically a group of highly talented veterans pulling off stunts similar to NUMA files. It was more military than NUMA files and I didn't entirely connect with Juan Cabrillo "the chairman" as much as I did Kurt Austin and Isaac Bell. I'm unhauling it. I didn't hate it, but I'm unhauling it. If you are more into military operations you might like it more than I did. I know it had good reviews online. The writing was good; I just didn't fully connect with the main character. It was also a little heavy on pop culture references. I skimmed two chapters in order to finish it off. I don't agree with the five-star ratings I saw, but I'll give it a 3.5 stars for good writing. I liked some of it. 

Conclusions - 

With this batch of Read-or-unhaul books done, let's discuss. I chose not to finish Murder House because the co-author's chapters bored me for seven of the nine chapters I read. That was a clear unhaul. The other unhaul was Mirage, which wasn't awful and wasn't my favorite. I liked some of it, but not all of it. It is still getting donated to another home. The one book I loved and would give five stars to is the Isaac Bell adventure The Gangster. It had my attention hook, line, and sinker. I have unhauled two books this round and kept one. 

I will keep doing this, by the way, so be on the lookout for other blogs on this particular theme. I am trying to clean out my bookshelves via read-or-unhaul challenge. I have too many books I haven't read. I'm a book dragon. 

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I wrote a book! I am delighted to say that I have four five-star reviews up on Amazon now, which is amazing. I hope you like it, too. If you're interested in buying a paperback or ebook version go to my website link in this blog or click here to go straight to my Amazon page. 

Jack Thomas is running from a past case. He's hiding in Wrenville. Is his past case catching up with him? 

Find out in my first book, Wrenville, a stand-alone suspense novel.

Nancy Drew Replay Dossier and MID

 This last blog is where I conclude this Nancy Drew Replay Series. Without further adieu, I continue into the two dossiers and Midnight in Salem. 

Courtesy of adria.ign.com

These three games are in this blog because they are a different play style than any other Nancy Drew Herinteractive games out there. Dossiers are the quick-play version of Nancy Drew and MID (Midnight in Salem) is a category all by itself due to being a different system and play style. There is a lot to say, but we'll put the dossiers first because they were released before MID. 

Dossiers - Resorting to Danger and Lights Camera Curses

The first dossier released is Lights Camera Curses and the second was Resorting to Danger. I had to play the first on the spare Lenovo because my HP wouldn't let it launch, but would let it install (much like games 16-20 because it was most likely released around that time). Resorting to Danger was fine for my HP, though, so it must have been released after the 20th game. 

The main difference between the dossiers and the main games is an arcade play style. You can even unlock all the mini games in the main menu and only play those, should you want to. You can sit down and play this in half a day or less. You could complete this in an hour, if you wanted to. The arcade and mini game style of it is for busy people who only need a study break and have two papers to write. Have kids? Try these two games and you might have some chance of finishing it in one shot. That was the whole concept for this gameplay style. 

Courtesy of old-games.com

The second game has some improved features, but is otherwise the same. Resorting to Danger has hints and different ways to interact with objects that Lights Camera Curses doesn't. It also has multiple endings. A third one almost came out at some point, except that the project was canceled due to some inner-company issues. Herinteractive has had those at various times and MID was one of the worst times (but we'll get into that next section). 

The plus side of these styles of games are the mini games that have high scores listed and are quite fun. I adore the facial game in the second dossier and the drink game in the first dossier. If you don't want to play a full game, yet want some Nancy for the day, you have the right games in mind. It doesn't take forever to finish these or play the mini games for the fun of it. Students, parents, and busy adults can pull this out with no fear of overloading their brains. I highly suggest them. I also suggest plugging a mouse into your laptop for the sections of dossier that require speedy movement. 

Midnight In Scandal

 I have to bring this up. MID was created during a change in CEOs in Herinteractive's company staff, which then created scandal when PR was so bad that fans were getting upset. You'll notice that, even with a new game coming, they waited for a long time to release sneak peaks. The reason for this is MID's PR oopsies. They have learned not to give us any clues to a game until it is a sure thing, which is wise. This new game also looks miles better than the rushed character designs of MID.

The downside to this game is that some of the issues with it include that it was somewhat rushed by fans and was outsourced. Another issue is that anger at Herinteractive has caused it to have a shadow over it. This has lifted over time, mind you, but I wanted to make it clear that this game is not as bad as some people say. If you are considering buying this game, go find a playthrough on Youtube or borrow it from a friend. Try it yourself before looking at reviews that are influenced by a PR scandal. We all like Nancy Drew for different reasons. I have chosen to play it despite this and I enjoyed it (though I skipped most cut scenes and it was more fun). 

Midnight In Salem - the actual game experience

First of all, consider it an interactive novel with puzzles tacked in. It is not the puzzle games where you are free to explore and have a long list of puzzles to solve. Deirdre is a plot device to keep you on track. This is why there are more cut scenes than puzzles and more conversation than puzzles. It is not the games you knew before. Adjust your expectations now. It may be more like an actual investigation because of the interviews you do all the time. This is closer to real detective work. The storyline has a depth to it, rich depth. You even get a party epilogue to conclude the case.

Like I said in a previous section, it was rushed. We were lucky to even get the game at all. Herinteractive was on the struggle bus for a hot second. They outsourced it. Fans got upset at the delays and how Herinteractive was pushing the release date back. The game is not as pretty as it could be. If you don't care, like me, you may still like it and have fun playing it. It has mixed reviews. Make your own decision on the game. The more I replay it the more I like it, but it isn't what your nostalgia brain is going to be used to. 

Hint system? What hint system. Seriously, there is no hint system. On top of that, you do have to adjust to the way you navigate the world (which they considered when they made the game, thus the first part is more of a tutorial on navigation). It was smart to do the first part the way they did, especially for people like me who don't usually play games that require looking up and down the room. It took me forever the first time to figure out how to make the desk key work, but it clicked once I learned to rotate and interact with the objects. Pro-tip, rotate everything at every angle to find all your clues. 

Sea of Darkness and MID share one quality; when characters are done talking to you they say so or you can't talk to them. You are sure you've exhausted dialogue because the conversation automatically ends. While you can still engage them in conversation, after you exhaust all of it they say goodbye first sometimes. It saves some time. 

Courtesy of vastcoach.weebly.com

Cutscenes are everywhere in this game. I play the game faster by skipping them (because you can in this game, most of the time). Be aware you are experiencing a storyline rather than playing a typical Nancy Drew puzzle game.  It is an interactive novel if it is anything at all, so please note that if you don't want to watch Deirdre have a hissy fit (because Nancy solved the case her way - Heaven forbid!) you should hit "skip cutscene" in the corner of the screen (top left). I do, it helps me enjoy the game without watching her have a hissy fit. I hate that cutscene in particular and even when I first played it I knew she'd get herself stuck somewhere and I'd inevitably have to save her. You can skip those cutscenes that make the game run long. It's more fun that way. Try it both ways and see what you think. 

Save files are easy on this one. They automatically save your game for you. It is nifty and tells you kind of where you are. Your phone is also your to-do list, which is short for most of the game. There are about two days or so in Nancy's world, mostly because the game ends at midnight of the day the Hathorne house almost becomes public property. This game will also let you change difficulties mid-game or at any time, as well as let you adjust the graphics for your computer (I had to on my old Dell laptop). 

The only bad thing about this game is the loading time on older computers (it was a miracle my Dell even played it) and the graphics settings you might have to adjust. If the game slows as you play it, the cutscenes become unbearable because the mouths don't line up with the audio dialogue; it lasts twice the time it should. Keep in mind your older computers might have some struggles with this game. My newer laptop runs it fine and doesn't take fifteen minutes to load ( my Dell laptop was ancient). 

Ned is another thing you have to deal with. Ned has a weird conversation that could have multiple interpretations to it, one of which being his sister took his phone and another being he's cheating or his friends are truly being awful to him. You don't get an explanation. You never talk to him about it. Instead, the two of you play phone tag and Ned calls back at the worst possible moments that he can (when the Parry's house is vandalized and when you are trying to find ergot). I don't like this aspect of the game because I like helpful Ned, who is not the Ned of this game. It doesn't impact all you do, obviously, I can still have fun playing it, but it is clear they have some issues. Nancy does hint that they are working it out after the game ends, though, so at least we can look forward to the next game being a bit less dramatic. Also, they hint at Francy again, which I kind of like. The more I play it, the more I realize that Ned is consumed with worry over her safety. 

The voice of Nancy is not the voice you knew from your childhood. It still sounds good, and some say better, but it isn't what you are used to. "Not what you're used to" is the theme of this entire post, it seems. Even her tones and the way she speaks her words are not the old Nancy (sounds more accurate to a lawyer's daughter/ serious investigator). She is actively trying to be more sensitive. I see her as more of a real detective in this one. The ending includes her chewing out a judge for prejudice (and if you know the whole game, the shoe fits that). I agree with her; you can make your own decisions on that dialogue propriety for yourself when you hear it. 

Much like other games, it does switch you to Frank Hardy's perspective and it does give you a mini-game to play. This is another super mystery-ish crossover. That is where the Francy dynamic comes in. It does keep the drama era going, even pushing it a little farther than the previous games. This is also not the first time Ned and Nancy have had an argument. This game does take on some aspects of the older games. Mini-games also show up, this time in the form of making herbal remedies (which I quite enjoy). When Deirdre is out researching you can make a truth serum if you do enough of these remedies. It's kind of fun and kind of funny to see the reactions. Only Deirdre and Joe take it, though. Nancy is upfront about it being truth serum. 

Courtesy of tomai.jodymaroni.com

Conclusions

This concludes me playing through the entire Nancy Drew series, so cheers to that! It was worth every minute. MID is more fun once you play it more than once, at least in my opinion. It has some drama to it amongst the rich dialogue and storyline. The Dossiers are fun for study breaks and when you don't want a whole game. I play the mini-games in the menu lots of times. I recommend playing all the games. Everyone likes different aspects of a game. You'll learn what you like along the way. 

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I wrote a book! I am delighted to say that I have two five-star reviews up on Amazon now, which is amazing. I hope you like it, too. If you're interested in buying a paperback or ebook version go to my website link in this blog or click here to go straight to my Amazon page. 

Jack Thomas is running from a past case. He's hiding in Wrenville. Is his past case catching up with him? 

Find out in my first book, Wrenville, a stand-alone suspense novel.

Nancy Drew Replay Pt 3

 This is part three of me replaying the whole Nancy Drew Herinteractive series of games. 

Courtesy of Pinterest

Spoiler alert! I have to talk about the games to prove what era they are. You have been warned. 

Hello again! I promise this series won't be ten million segments. This last era (minus the dossiers and Midnight in Salem- MID) is the only one left. There will be one more post about the dossiers and MID because they are categories by themselves. Otherwise, I'm almost done. 

Drama Era - Captive Curse to Sea of Darkness

Let the relationship issues begin! Ned can be super helpful (Alibi) or cause all sorts of drama (Captive). This also begins the Francy (Frank and Nancy) hints, which actually come straight from the super mysteries books. Nothing new here, just a less helpful Ned at times and a bit less separation from Nancy's relationship reality. The drama is now built into the plot, thus it is unavoidable. That has been happening slowly since the last era. That started with the games requiring help from phone friends.

The good thing is you learn more about River Heights, Nancy's mom, Ned and Nancy's issues, the love triangle that has existed in the fanbase and books since forever, and how much tunnel vision Nancy truly has toward mysteries. The bad thing is that if you only wanted the mystery itself you have to wade through some of that. I eat up Francy with a spoon, but maybe you don't. To each their own. It isn't laid on too thick, however, so there is enough mystery to make it work well. In other words, it doesn't stand in the way of the mystery.

The puzzle heavy era never ended - surprise! Now it is aimed even more at the maturing fanbase it has cultivated. This is likely why more plot and deeper emotion were added. In short, they kept the puzzle content and added more personal relationship depth. I like a lot of this era for the puzzles, as well as the dialogue. Two games tend to take the puzzle heavy aspect of this to an extreme - Labyrinth of Lies and Silent Spy. These two were absolutely overwhelming to play the first time. It was almost too much, but once you played it once it wasn't as bad. Plus, they upped the puzzle level a bit more. I have to cheat through these games to finish them. They are longer or feel longer than the other games. 

Not shockingly, you have to call more people. They make you kiss and make up with Ned. Although you get the choice of kicking Ned's heart onto the floor or telling him you love him in Sea of Darkness, Captive Curse makes you call him and the Hardy's about the situation. You also have to pass the baton during Alibi in Ashes to others in order to play as them, as well as calling Carson for help. You used to be able to ignore your friends unless you needed hints, but that has phased itself out by now. Carson even calls Nancy when she runs off to Scotland. In Alibi you get the wonderful choice of character use and you get to see how every suspect treats every single playable character.

Another thing about this era is how detailed the settings have become. The graphics have noticeably improved from here until Sea of Darkness. The storylines get richer and sometimes darker (especially since an older audience is the target now). Character design is also more detailed. Character depth has always been great in these games, but has gotten even better. Speaking of mature themes, you solve a murder again, which only happens about three times in the entire series (so far, at least). I count solving Charlotte's murder in Thornton Hall as a murder investigation (loosely and indirectly) and that makes three, technically. 

Mini-games start showing up in nearly every game here. I can name at least one for every game except Thornton Hall. I love mini-games and I put in my mini-game save files to play them without restarting. Newer games like Shattered Medallion have mini-games on your phone and the puzzle palace setting. It is fantastic to see we get these little games. I know some of you could care less about mini-games and I know some of you share my enthusiasm. I think it makes them more replayable. 

Medallion, we have to talk about that one. It is not typical of the series. Sonny Joon has taken over a reality tv show that George and Nancy are taking part in. The plot is odd compared to everything else you play in this category. Is it fun? I think so, but if you play for the plot you might not like it. Puzzle lovers will be totally into it. Mini-game lovers will also love it. This is the only one where the plot is a bit strange and kind of unhinged, well, if you don't count Labyrinth of Lies and the theatre set with real lava.

Courtesy of Pinterest

Stay tuned for the last segment and stay sleuthy! 

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I wrote a book! I am delighted to say that I have two five-star reviews up on Amazon now, which is amazing. I hope you like it, too. If you're interested in buying a paperback or ebook version go to my website link in this blog or click here to go straight to my Amazon page. 

Jack Thomas is running from a past case. He's hiding in Wrenville. Is his past case catching up with him? 

Find out in my first book, Wrenville, a stand-alone suspense novel.

Nancy Drew Replay Part Two

 Welcome back to my Nancy Drew Replay! If you didn't see the first part, go to my previous blog post  to read the first part. I am analyzing the eras of Nancy Drew Herinteractive games based on my playthrough by the oldest to the newest release date. I'll let the first part speak for me. Let's dive in! 

Courtesy of Pinterest

*Spoiler warning! I have spoilers in these blogs for the purpose of proving trends.*

The Puzzle Heavy Era - White Wolf to Shadow at Waters Edge

Here is where my HP laptop, unlike my Dell laptop and the spare Lenovo laptop, didn't want to cooperate. This is the exact point where White Wolf installed with no problem but only launched for two seconds. The first dossier did the same thing. Apparently, this is an issue with HP computers. I tried the "changing 0 to 2 window setting in configuration files" fix with no luck. I then tried the compatibility 640-480 resolution mode with the same rotten luck. I just switched to playing on the Lenovo. This problem applies mostly to games 16-20 if my frustrated research is correct. 21 plays just fine on my HP, as do all the games after that.

I like to joke that Herinteractive noticed people in their 20s and 30s were playing and they upped the puzzle level just to give us more challenge, but I might not be joking. These seem to be aimed more at adults, with added help for those who aren't adults. Every era of games from here forward is harder in puzzle level and has more depth, even in the environments around you. They truly did look at audience age. For the most part, you still have linear storylines, but there is more to explore and longer games due to puzzle content. Deeper conversations begin to happen as the series progresses. 

Courtesy of Herinteractive

Along with harder puzzles, we see more puzzles packed into each game. White Wolf has a lot of puzzles attached to one goal, much like Crystal Skull (finding eyes) and Ransom of the Seven Ships. The current trend is that one goal sometimes has a lot of mini-puzzles within it or there are a bunch of puzzles packed into one game. Also, two games in a row include finding a journal with multiple tasks in it (White Wolf and Crystal Skull). Ransom of the seven ships even has a journal with tasks in it. 

White Wolf is actually considered one of the hardest games because of fox and geese with Bill Kessler. The puzzle level did rise to a more mature level. My husband loves this game so much that he made a board and bought marbles for it. Believe it or not, that game was not made up by herinteractive to make you angry - that game is ancient and comes from a long time ago. They simplified it compared to the original board. Consider yourself lucky that they did. 

The amount of chores varies based on the game plot. Phantom of Venice has next to none. Crystal Skull has almost none. White Wolf is known for being practically a maid simulator and "chores the game" (though Twister gets the award for being all chores in my book), which makes sense given your cover story. It all depends on the plot, but I don't see nearly as many chores in the majority of this game era. Mini-games also show up, but are not consistently there in every game here.

The meta-awards begin at Crystal Skull. White Wolf only has one award (like the previous era). The meta-awards are like little achievements you can earn. It is very fun. At Phantom of Venice, we get blooper reels after the credits based on how many achievements you have earned. 

We need to talk about the one game that really is 'chores the game', and that is Trail of the Twister. Half the game could be eliminated based on my task vs chores definition. Basically, half the tasks (if not more) don't advance the plot. The rest of the games in this category - White Wolf included - have the majority of tasks advancing the plot. For this reason, it could be its own category. Is it puzzle heavy? Yes, but the majority of those puzzles are unnecessary to the plot. 

This era also includes a discontinued game that was quietly no longer sold by Herinteractive. The culprit uses a form of blackface (to look Jamaican) and Herinteractive decided to silently discontinue it. I have it because I preordered it way back when. It is worth playing at least once, but do not pay more than 20 dollars for the game itself because it isn't worth more than the price it was originally sold for. It is puzzle heavy and involves a lot of puzzles that take time to solve. You may need help at some points (hourglass puzzle, for sure).  It isn't a bad game, but I won't say it is their best. It is one of the harder games out there and has a bad rap for being one of the least-liked games.

Courtesy of Pinterest

Two more posts are coming out after this one, stay tuned! 

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I wrote a book! I am delighted to say that I have two five-star reviews up on Amazon now, which is amazing. I hope you like it, too. If you're interested in buying a paperback or ebook version go to my website link in this blog or click here to go straight to my Amazon page. 

Jack Thomas is running from a past case. He's hiding in Wrenville. Is his past case catching up with him? 

Find out in my first book, Wrenville, a stand-alone suspense novel.

Nancy Drew Replay Part One

Hello fellow nerds and loyal blog readers! I personally replayed all my Nancy Drew Herinteractive collection and re-experienced them all - every single one. Without further adieu, I give you my observations after doing so. 

Courtesy of Herinteractive

Starting with Secrets Can Kill (and the remastered one) and going straight through to Midnight In Salem, I played them all. I love them all to different degrees and for different reasons because I am a Nancy Drew nerd and own them all. I actually pre-ordered some of them to acquire it (like Ransom of the Seven Ships) and got most of them for Christmas until we had to wait for Midnight In Salem and they stopped making them so frequently. I had to get downloads of some games because I couldn't play them on my college laptop. I don't think you need any more proof of my nerdyness. 

*Be aware that you will find spoilers in this series of blogs. In order to make my point about trends in games I have to say these. You have been warned. * 

Early Games - Classic Era - Secrets Can Kill to The Final Scene

Secrets Can Kill, believe it or not, takes two discs that switch back and forth for game locations (a real pain) and the remastered is nice because you don't have to do that. The endings are different in both versions and the remastered has more puzzles because Herinteractive didn't want a super-short game and needed a reason for those bulletin boards you see all through the original game design. Remastered also includes a task list (which the oldest games lack entirely), which helps you avoid wandering around not knowing what you need to trigger or do. 

Courtesy of Tumblr

The oldest games are also super short if you know exactly what to do and trigger. And I do most times, so basically, it takes a day to play Treasure in the Royal Tower and one go to finish it. The one downside to older games is that the game does not automatically take notes for you or give you a task list. Lost? Forgot a puzzle? You end up wandering around if you aren't careful enough to take notes yourself. Sometimes Nancy also has to see something to make a connection and allow you to finish the task (thus you have to do the legwork in the game to progress). Not all of them are like that but do expect that in older games. They were targeted at ten-year-old girls. While Herinteractive knows now that more than ten-year-old kids play it, the early games are not aimed at adults, thus they are easier upon reaching adulthood and more nostalgic for players that loved them as kids. 

The music is different as the games progress. The older the game, the more dramatic the music. It is kind of funny to listen to that and notice it. Go ahead and pull up YouTube and listen to the soundtrack videos in order of the first game to last. Feel free to tell me what you think. Am I right? Or is it just me?

Dialogue and snooping everyone's areas are a lot of the older gameplay. Yes, they have a few puzzles, but the majority of the game is sneaking around to snoop or talking to the characters in person and on the phone. Final Scene has a lot of talking to characters and making calls. The rest of it is practically all snooping. That is just one example, but STFD (Stay Tuned For Danger) is similar in format. You have to talk to people to progress or find something in their stuff to keep the plot moving. Otherwise, you don't progress. One reason for this is that the games are somewhat linear in nature. You have one plotline and you follow it all the way through. Again, we're aiming at children demographically, so this makes sense. 

I will note a unique game in the Classic era, which is Final Scene. It is unlike other games for two reasons. One reason is the urgent tone of it. That tone is maintained throughout the game and even emphasized at the end with a time challenge. No other game does this so well. Reason number two is the sheer sass of Nancy throughout the entire game dialogue. Other games may give her sassy moments, but here we see an entire game of Nancy's sass. I live for her dialogue in this game, especially toward Brady Armstrong and his agent. 

From Scarlet Hand To Carousel - The Second Era

The first trend in the second era is that we see a to-do list develop, though it isn't in the screen's bottom bar until the era after this. You have to go to the location of your laptop in some and others have a PDA (ghost dogs) or a list on a desk. Also, journals begin here. Some key clues get written in it automatically, but you need to take notes no matter what because it isn't recording everything. This is where the games transition from the possibility of wandering to trigger an event to a more guided experience that leaves you clear feedback on your tasks. Scarlet Hand is a transition between eras and a combination of both in some ways. It is classified as the second era because of the list on the desk. 

Courtesy of Pinterest

Trend two is the length of the games. They have packed more into the games at this point. More puzzles, plot, and tasks are programmed in, making it a longer gaming experience for players. Classic era games are shockingly short compared to this era. Part of the way they did this was by adding chores to your mystery, which are usually balanced out amongst the puzzles.  

One thing I noticed starting with Scarlet Hand was the beginning of doing chores or tasks for objects.  The balance of chores to game puzzles/interrogation is pretty evened out in Scarlet Hand and the games in this era, but gets a bit annoying when you reach Ghost Dogs because of that bait puzzle. It isn't the only game chore that can get frustrating, but it is the beginning of the "You do this and I give you that" trend. 

To be clear about "Chores" and my definition of them, I will give you an example from Scarlet Hand of a "puzzle/task" and an example of a "chore" from Ghost Dogs. Both involve doing favors for a character. A puzzle/task that involves doing a favor for someone is Alejandro asking for the monolith agreement (which is relevant to the plot). A chore would be the bait finding from Ghost Dogs (which could be cut out and not affect the plotline anywhere). A necessary task you are asked to do furthers the plot and a chore prolongs the game without affecting your game storyline. This is why the second era has longer games. The classic era did not include chores, but only relevant tasks. You may point to TRT as having chores, but because Dexter's tasks do further your plot with Hotchkiss, they are not chores in my eyes. 

Haunted Carousel introduces what I call "minigames", which will be classified in this post as a game within the main game that can be played over and over again for fun or money collection. That definition goes all the way to the end of the series. Carousel includes a fun laptop game of matching flags and midway games that you need to play at least once to conclude the main game. Minigames do not need to be part of the main plot to be classified as such, but often are anyway and can double as tasks in some games. Midway games, in this case, have to be played in order to acquire items you need. Technically, you could include the temple games in Scarlet Hand here, but I hesitate to because Bull is not a particularly fun game to play (at least for me personally). Long story short, if you have the option to play an arcade game, fish and make necklaces, mix drinks, serve food over and over, or any variation of such things it is a minigame. There are so many variations throughout the games that I won't list all of them. I will say, though, that most are food-related.

At Haunted Carousel we also get to read email and have a cellphone, which makes calling people more convenient because you can be anywhere to call someone (not just your hotel or office). I think from here on out we do have a cell phone, and from here on out we do check email (in some games, not all). Also, this laptop checks off tasks for you, which is kind of nice. Deception Island does the same thing. 

The Experimental Era - From Shadow Ranch to Kapu Cave

From here you have a bottom bar with your checklist and journal, which is far more convenient for checking the progress of the game. It makes it possible to not be running all the way to your hotel every time you want to see your checklist or read your journal. You can even read emails and search the web from your phone. This also has those cute awards that you get at the end of the game (only one award, sadly, but later games make up for that).

Depending on the game individually, they go from incredibly padded with chores to all tasks and only a few chores (Blackmoor, Last Train). Some are notorious for being mostly chores or mini-games (like Kapu Cave). This era goes all over the place with the balance of chores and tasks. It is known for being experimental and varied, so I dub it the experimental era. It goes from a ranch, to a creepy English manor, to the 1930s, to a train, to France, to Hawaii. I have grouped this based on the taskbar style, so some trends might run off into the next era.

I will say that the trend here is a linear storyline, but nonlinear play. In this era, we are looking at a mix of many balances, but the similarity is that the storyline is clearly linear, even if the ability to do the tasks doesn't have to be. It is hard to lose your place when it comes to the plotline. This is built for younger adventurers (during which I would have been in elementary school). Games grew more mature based on their fanbase age (judging by later games compared to these). The only exception to this is the creepy nature of Blackmoor, which scared the living crap out of me as a kid. To this day I avoid playing it and I have found it is better played as an adult. Everything else is tame and built for younger players except Blackmoor.

Courtesy of Pinterest

The basic idea of this era is that Herinteractive was trying out a whole bunch of balances and puzzles, which means these games are extended by chores or tasks, as well as vastly different when it comes to environments. Another thing you'll notice is the presence of the hardy boys starting with Blue Moon Canyon and Kapu Cave. You also switch perspectives to the hardy boys in both of these games. This trend continues even into Midnight In Salem. 

Another trend continuing into future eras is that Bess and George actually help you over the phone and send you information for the second time in the series (counting Carousel). This continues throughout the rest of the eras periodically. You actually have to call them in these specific games. This isn't every game, but at least four are like this. The trend I'm describing here is the beginning of the games where you can't ignore Nancy's friends. This leads to the newer games where you have to call her friends. Eventually, we see that you can't ignore Nancy's personal life and it is a vital part of the plot, but for now, we only see the beginnings of it.

Another note I'll add is related to Ned's jealousy. Play Kapu Cave and use all the conversations for Ned to find a conversation similar to the Midnight In Salem one, minus the relationship talk. He is already jealous of Frank in Kapu Cave, ladies and gents, which is interesting to me. Given Nancy hung up on him to talk to the Hardy's I'm not surprised.

Nancy also begins showing you around her room in this era, around Danger by Design and Kapu Cave. It isn't a big thing, really, yet I wanted to note that began here. 

The next eras of Nancy Drew will be continued in part two of this blog. Stay tuned for part two next week and......... stay beautiful!

Courtesy of Pinterest

PS. I am not including the dossiers in this until the last blog where I talk about Midnight In Salem. I say this because the dossiers are lightyears different from the original games, and much like MID, are not the same gameplay style. I will tackle MID and the dossiers in the same and final part of this blog series.

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I wrote a book! I am delighted to say that I have two five-star reviews up on Amazon now, which is amazing. I hope you like it, too. If you're interested in buying a paperback or ebook version go to my website link in this blog or click here to go straight to my Amazon page. 

Jack Thomas is running from a past case. He's hiding in Wrenville. Is his past case catching up with him? 

Find out in my first book, Wrenville, a stand-alone suspense novel.

lighthouse keepers and mercury poisoning

Lighthouse keepers were known to go mad quite often, but it wasn't just being alone too long. No, it was the mercury. There are some horror stories out there. 

4th order (mercury floated) Fresnel Lens
 Photo Courtesy of TripAdvisor

In this blog today we're going to be talking about the perils of lighthouse keepers, people who had a hard job to begin with - even without the mercury poisoning that happened. It wasn't out of the question to have a lighthouse keeper go mad every once in a while. Go mad, in this instance, is not rage; it refers to someone going crazy. There are even stories of a man being trapped with his dead fellow lighthouse keeper because of a storm not allowing authorities to come closer. Even worse, the arm slightly outside the coffin seemed to wave at him in the wind. It was bad. Suicides were also common occurrences here. 

What was it like keeping a lighthouse? Lonely, that's what. You are at the beck and call of keeping the lights on and everything functioning - not a shocker - but you also are isolated by the sea and must be a jack-of-all-trades to make it work. Some lighthouses are actually reported to be haunted, too, much like any space that wasn't good for mental health (cough cough, asylums, cough cough). Modern lighthouses are usually automated fully, which is probably for the better. While it is an adventurous job some loved, it was also a place mercury poisoning was common (after 1860).

How To Run A Lighthouse

These beacons of light were vital. Sailors reaching land needed to not crash onto the rocks. I think this concept is quite self-explanatory, so I'm focusing on how you ran a lighthouse. First, assuming it was not the modern lighthouse, you lived there sometimes. Yep, this required you to move homes (and you could bring your family). This is 1800s -ish, just to clarify the time period. The 1960s began the automated lighthouses. Women keepers were rarer, but not uncommon, especially if the man running it had a family and died, leaving the woman to inherit the duty. Black people also ran lighthouses in some places, many places in fact after the Civil War. 

Courtesy of CADENAS PARTsolutions

Here's where it all gets quite suspicious. Fresnel lenses created more light and rotated. To keep that light rotating like it should be you had to lubricate it or crank it every once in a while (before mercury). It was lubricated on a track of liquid mercury at one point. This began in the 1860s. Alarm bells should be ringing in your head if you know how "mad as a hatter" became a common phrase. Breathing that in was toxic. Touching it was toxic. Part of your job as a keeper would have been to strain out impurities in the mercury. Ouch. They were poisoned the same way hatters had been. Confusion, depression, hallucination, memory loss, and erratic behaviors were common to lighthouse keepers. 

Oh, and you had to take care of the occasional shipwreck and weather storms (in which one led the three keepers to evacuate and then die in the water, at least they think they died). Until the lightbulb, flames could be perilous. Henry Hall (94 years old) discovered one day the tower had been ignited by the lantern flame. To his horror and peril, molten lead poured over his face and throat before he could throw water on the fire. He somehow lived 12 days. He had 200 grams of solid lead in his stomach when they did the autopsy. 

Only one lighthouse remains manned at this point. Boston Light in the Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area is the only one. I'm guessing that they no longer use mercury. The Coast Guard has taken over most of the duties a keeper would, for the most part. Weather is still an issue, obviously, as a modern lighthouse keeper. The modern keepers are ones that love adventure, not surprisingly. They plant gardens, write, and keep their wits about them. 

Boston Light and Keeper -
Courtesy of USA Today 

When Things Go Wrong and General Madness

I will have the video that was the source material for the Smalls Lighthouse in the sources (because Kaz Rowe did a lot of research and has already done some of my work for me) if you want even more info. I'll give you the lowdown on one of the worst stories here. 

Smalls Lighthouse off the coast of Wales was particularly cursed. This is 1776, for time period reference. The structure needed repair and the keeper left someone else in charge to go get those parts. A message was thrown into the water and received later on. It said they had next to no water or fire left and were doing quite badly. They wanted to get out of there by next Spring or they thought they'd die. Fortunately, all survived. But that wasn't the only ordeal. 

Smalls Lighthouse
 - Courtesy of factsrepublic.com

Fast forward 25 years and two keepers were put there. Thomas Griffith and Thomas Howell were put on duty. There was a distress signal at the lighthouse. The sea conditions made it impossible to get there right away. Yes, the lights were still on, but the distress signal remained. Griffith was feeling unwell and they needed help. No help came in time and Griffith died. Throw the body? No, Howell could not do that unless he wanted to be thought a murderer. Instead, the body decomposed in the lighthouse. He made a coffin since he had the skill. For three weeks the coffin with the body was secured to the railing. After that, the storm passed and they could take both the live and dead keeper away from the lighthouse. Some accounts say the arm was out and the wind made the hand look like it was waving at Howell. They'd been there four months. The keeper number was then upped to a three-person crew until the automation of lighthouses.

In 1860 mercury began being used for the lenses, because before they used other means to keep the lens rotating. This was so much easier, they said, even though soon after keepers kept going insane. Suicide rose like the high tide. Drinking and psychological troubles? That rose, too. Keepers began thinking the lamp was cleaning and filling itself. Someone drank methyl hydrate, went into the bushes, came back into the radio room naked, and screamed while swinging an ax. And this wasn't only the keepers that started going a little off their rocker; the families shared the symptoms. Mercury wasn't such a great idea and no one knew the perils of it at that time. Whoops. 

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I wrote a book! I am delighted to say that I have two five-star reviews up on Amazon now, which is amazing. I hope you like it, too. If you're interested in buying a paperback or ebook version go to my website link in this blog or click here to go straight to my Amazon page. 

Jack Thomas is running from a past case. He's hiding in Wrenville. Is his past case catching up with him? 

Find out in my first book, Wrenville, a stand-alone suspense novel.

Sources:

Mad as a Lighthouse Keeper -- Not the Solitude, but the Mercury (oldsaltblog.com)

The Dark Side of Lighthouses | Hakai Magazine

Mad as a lighthouse keeper? – Recognition, Evaluation, Control (wordpress.com)

Lighthouse Keepers (U.S. National Park Service) (nps.gov)

The life of a modern lighthouse keeper | Kinute

(2) Why Did So Many Lighthouse Keepers "Go Mad"? - YouTube

Smalls Lighthouse Tragedy | Fact# 29490 | FactRepublic.com